Woman accuses RIAA of killing dolphins

Oregon's most famous disabled single mother has launched a new attack on the Recording Ass. of America, accusing the organization of "killing dolphins."

On Friday, Tanya Andersen filed an amended complaint (PDF) in her much-discussed class action lawsuit against the RIAA, and the 109-page document begins by pointing out that the RIAA likens itself to some sort of heartless driftnet fisherman.

"For nearly three years of her life, Tanya Andersen and her young daughter were subjected to an outrageous series of baseless accusations and unrelenting threats of financial ruin," the complaint reads. "The world’s four major recording studios had devised an illegal enterprise intent on maintaining their virtually complete monopoly over the distribution of recorded music.

"The enterprise is conducted with total disregard for innocent individuals. Dead people have been sued. Children have been sued. People without computers have been sued. As a senior RIAA spokeswoman explained: 'When you fish with a net, you are going to catch a few dolphins.' By their own early admission, they were knowingly engaged in a 'driftnet fishing' operation and 'innocent dolphins' were the collateral damage in their 'nets.'"

Andersen's complaint is just the latest salvo in her nearly four-year-old battle with the RIAA. The organization first sued the single mom back in 2004, accusing her of illegally downloading tunes from the net. These tunes included "Shake that Ass Bitch," "Bullet in the Head," and "I Stab People."

Now, a new Andersen suit seeks class action status, demanding redress for everyone else who was allegedly harassed by the RIAA. The suit demands satisfaction from the Ass. as well as the big-name record labels that back the Ass. and MediaSentry, the company the Ass. hired to investigate suspected online file sharers.

"In 2003 and before, the Big 4 recording companies conspired with the enforcement/lobbying arm of the music cartel - the RIAA - and MediaSentry to devise an investigation scheme that was both illegal and seriously flawed," the complaint continues. "The scheme was based on secret private investigations by unlicensed, unregistered and uncertified private investigators.

"These private investigators claim to have illegally entered the hard drives of tens of thousands of private American citizens to look for music recordings stored there. This personal invasion is a crime in virtually every state in the country. If music was 'discovered' through this illegal process, the private investigators would then sell the identity of the computers’ internet protocol address to the RIAA and the Big 4 record companies." ®